Hampshire MP Paul Holmes has criticised local NHS plans to axe community services to detect and monitor glaucoma, during a visit to Specsavers in Hedge End, Southampton.
Holmes, MP for Hamble Valley, promised to write to the Minister and integrated care board (ICB) chief executive to try to protect the services and raise awareness with other colleagues in Hampshire to try to get the decision changed.
‘As a customer at this local branch, I know how important the services that the team here provide are. I’m deeply concerned about the news of the withdrawal of glaucoma services. I’ve often thought that some of the actions by the ICB actually cost the NHS more money in the long term.
‘This is a clear example where when you’ve got a great provider providing the services to keep waiting lists down, it’s retrograde that the ICB is choosing to cut that,’ he said.
Sam Thaker, optometry director at Specsavers Hedge End, added that thousands of patients could potentially be affected by the changes.
‘These services also help ease pressure on strained NHS hospitals by ensuring that patients with glaucoma who can be seen in the community don’t need to go to hospital,’ he said.
